The Predictive Value of Abdominal Ultrasonography Compared to CT Scan for the Evaluation of Pediatric Lymphoma

Given the children's susceptibility to the harmful radiation of computerized tomography (CT) scans, ultrasonography can be a good alternative in staging pediatric lymphoma. The present study aimed to assess the predictive value of abdominal ultrasonography compared to CT scan in children with lymphoma.

Fifty-two children with confirmed lymphoma were included in the present cross-sectional analytical study and underwent CT scan. The staging was performed based on the involvement pattern, lymph nodes, liver involvement, spleen involvement, and lymph node sizes. Then, the patients underwent ultrasonography followed by re-staging. The data were analyzed by SPSS 26. p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The included patients consisted of 32 (61.5%) boys and 20 (38.5%) girls with the median age of 6.0 years (4.3-8.0). The number of the patients with positive paraaortic lymphadenopathy, iliac chain lymphadenopathy, mesenteric lymphadenopathy, increased liver size, changed liver parenchyma, increased spleen size, changed spleen parenchyma, increased kidney size, and changed kidney parenchyma evaluated by sonography and CT scan were 24 (46.2%) and 26 (50.0%), 3 (5.8%) and 3 (5.8%), 34 (65.4%) and 34 (65.4%), 49 (94.2%) and 48 (92.3%), 23 (44.2%) and 23 (44.2%), 45 (68.2%) and 21 (31.8%), 48 (92.3%) and 48 (92.3%), 50 (96.2%) and 50 (96.2%), and 49 (94.2%) and 48 (92.3%), respectively (p ≤ 0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of abdominal ultrasonography staging compared to CT scan were 100%, more than 90%, more than 75%, and 100%, respectively.

Due to the sufficient sensitivity and specificity, ultrasonography has the potential to be applied instead of CT scan for the abdominal staging of pediatric lymphoma.